Health
Survivors seek greater role in anti-trafficking fight
Deborah Musa
Survivors of human trafficking have called for greater inclusion of survivors in anti-trafficking policies and interventions, saying their lived experiences can help strengthen prevention, protection and accountability.
The call was made at the inaugural public presentation and Launch of Voices Unchained – Trafficking Survivors Initiative, a survivor-led organisation established by three young Nigerian men who are recent survivors of trafficking for forced criminality, on Wednesday, in Abuja.
The organisation was founded by survivors including Anthony Ogbonna Joseph, Morgan Chikadibia Jaja and Alex Oluwayomi Onyeji, who stressed that the experience was not a pleasant one, as it was a carefully calculated move by the traffickers to get them to become victims and now survivors of the ordeal they had to endure before they were rescued.
They warned Nigerians, particularly young people, against deceptive overseas employment offers, saying seemingly legitimate job opportunities are increasingly being used to lure victims into forced criminality and exploitation.
The young men added that while rescue came as relief, it opened a new chapter of questions for them as survivors. “But coming home was only the beginning because being brought home does not automatically mean that everything is healed. Returning to Nigeria meant facing another set of questions. What happens after rescue?
“How does a survivor rebuild? How do we regain confidence? How do we find meaningful work? How do we deal with the memories of what happened? How do we prevent another young Nigerian from falling into the same trap? And perhaps the most important question: Can survivors themselves become part of the answer?
The Head of Administration of the initiative, Anthony Joseph, however, advised that survivors must move beyond being beneficiaries of interventions to becoming contributors to the fight against trafficking.
He said, “Survivors bring something that cannot be found in reports alone: We understand recruitment tactics. We understand the vulnerabilities that traffickers exploit. We understand what it means to navigate systems after exploitation.”
According to him, the survivors had travelled from Nigeria to Southeast Asia for what they believed were legitimate employment opportunities but were subjected to exploitation, deception, control and loss of freedom.
Joseph said the recruitment process appeared professional, with advertisements promising well-paying jobs, accommodation, meals and attractive salaries, while recruiters processed passports, visas and flight tickets. He said while they thought they were taking up genuine jobs, the reality was that they were actually being drawn into a sophisticated trafficking operation.
“Looking back now, we understand that this professionalism was carefully designed to build trust. Our journey took us through circumstances in which promises of opportunity and a better life became a reality of exploitation, deception, control and loss of freedom,” he said.
Joseph said the survivors’ return to Nigeria was facilitated by several organisations and institutions, including Eden Myanmar, the Nigerian Embassy in Thailand and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons.
He expressed appreciation to the Nigerian Embassy in Thailand, particularly the Chargé d’Affaires a.i., Richard Sunday Aladetoyinbo, and Consular Officer Dickson Agwu Chibueze, as well as NAPTIP officials involved in their rescue and repatriation.
Joseph said their experiences demonstrated that behind statistics on trafficking rescues and repatriations were individuals and families whose lives had been profoundly affected.
“We are those human stories,” he said.
He explained that their experiences led to the creation of Voices Unchained, whose work is anchored on five pillars: Prevention, Protection, Prosecution, Partnership and Policy.
“Our work is focused on prevention, survivor protection and support, safe migration education, research and documentation, youth engagement and policy advocacy. Our experiences can become knowledge. Our knowledge can become advocacy. Our advocacy can become prevention. And our prevention can help save lives,” he said.
Also speaking, the Director of Programmes, Jaja, said the organisation had participated in several national and international engagements during its first six months, including forums on trafficking for forced criminality in Ethiopia and Malaysia.
Jaja said the organisation would focus on ensuring that activities translated into measurable outcomes.
“Activity alone is not impact,” he said.
Adding that the organisation would assess its work based on whether it strengthened prevention, improved public understanding, promoted survivor participation and contributed to stronger protection and reintegration.
The National President of the Network Against Child Trafficking, Abuse and Labour, Osita Osemene, urged the survivors to remain consistent and develop their skills.
“I encourage you not to give up,” he said.
Osemene, who also identified himself as a trafficking survivor, said survivor participation could contribute to policy development and anti-trafficking interventions.
The Associate Programme Officer with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, congratulated the survivors, saying their experiences could contribute to combating human trafficking.
“Today’s gathering is indeed more than a launch; it is a powerful affirmation that voices, once silenced, can become voices that inspire change,” she said.
She added that survivors were not only beneficiaries of support but could also become leaders, advocates and agents of transformation.
The British High Commission Policy Coordinator, Abigail Woods, said trafficking for forced criminality had become a global organised crime, with victims being deceived, coerced and forced to commit crimes.
She recalled meeting the survivors in February, describing the occasion as “a very moving, powerful event.”
Woods said the UK supported efforts to disrupt trafficking networks, protect victims and help survivors rebuild their lives.
She said survivor participation was important because “People who have lived through trafficking understand things that those of us working in government, law enforcement, or international and national organisations simply cannot understand in the same way.”
The British High Commission, National Crime Agency’s International Liaison Officer, Matt Maison, also pledged continued support for the survivors and the initiative.
He said, “Initiatives like these bring survivors together, provide a voice, and enable survivors to be the keystone around policy, around prevention, and around prosecution.”
In his welcome address, the Administrative and Finance Officer, Onyeji, said the initiative was established to ensure survivors were heard and involved in developing solutions to human trafficking.
He said, “We are giving lived experience a platform. We are turning painful experiences into prevention, awareness and action.”
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